


All That Glitters…

by Sandylee007



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst, Episode: s03e14 A Kiss From a Rose, Good Boyfriend Alec Lightwood, Love, M/M, Protective Alec, Worried Alec Lightwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-11-24 21:05:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18169853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandylee007/pseuds/Sandylee007
Summary: ‘Watching Magnus seeking proper spots for the very few belongings he took from his apartment… Observing the warlock trying to catch his footing after a yet another victory that cost too much… Alec wanted to cry.’Magnus is overjoyed to have his magic and himself back, even if the magic is a mockery of his own. But Alec is restless and furious. Because aside Magnus losing his home, something about the whole things doesn’t feel right to him.Determined to try and fix at least one of the things that are wrong in Magnus’s life, Alec goes to confront Lorenzo. And comes back to find something chilling…As the saying goes, not all that glitters is gold.(Takes place before and after the AMAZING scene between Alec and Lorenzo in 3x14.)





	All That Glitters…

**Author's Note:**

> I just watched episode 3x14, and… Guys, the brown stuff is OFFICIALLY about to hit the fan…! (gulps) Poor Magnus! The poor dear seriously can’t catch a break, can he?
> 
> How was I supposed to NOT type something like this?
> 
> DISCLAIMER: PFFT! If I owned ANYTHING, we’d already have to 3x15 to watch and break our hearts.
> 
> WARNINGS: SPOILERS… But other than that… Nothing. WOAH! Am I getting soft…?
> 
> Okay… Because stalling’s never okay… Let’s go! I REALLY hope that you’ll enjoy the ride.

Watching Magnus seeking proper spots for the very few belongings he took from his apartment… Observing the warlock trying to catch his footing after a yet another victory that cost too much… Alec wanted to cry. Even after his boyfriend declared firmly and sincerely that he’d sacrifice his home all over again in exchange for magic. Even after Magnus pointed out, almost convincingly, that this time everything he lost was only material.

Of course they both knew that the loft was far more than just that.

It was the home of great many precious memories. For… Alec didn’t even know how long it’d been a sanctuary for those in need of help, a place of healing for those who were hurting. In a world of chaos and fighting it was Magnus’s very own haven, and very quickly it became something similar to Alec. It was _home_ , plain and simple. Now it belonged to someone who only valued his own ego.

And what did Magnus buy with such a price? Magic that was a pale imitation of the warlock’s own. Fool’s gold instead of sapphire. Even Alec felt the difference with every cell of his body when they went through a portal together. He could only imagine how taunting the unfamiliarity was to Magnus. Yet the man he loved was clearly overjoyed. Because even a cheap replica of a piece of one’s soul is better than a hollow, bleeding gap.

After having Magnus completely open for a few stolen moments at the apartment Lorenzo took over Alec finally began to understand properly what his beloved had been going through. Why the man was desperate enough to turn to Lorenzo. And the warrior in him growled.

Alec searched for a way to bring back Magnus’s magic whenever his impossibly chaotic life gave him the chance to. He found nothing. And now that his boyfriend was homeless… He housed him to a place full of people who mistrusted him and looked at him in a way that made Alec see red. (Considering Magnus’s history, settling to live his daily life among all those Shadowhunters couldn’t be easy. Yet out of necessity the man tried, pushed back centuries of… horrible memories. And was met with open scorn, even in front of the head of the Institute.) Already after just hours from Magnus moving in, Alec was forced to admit that he was disappointed in his people. Yet he couldn’t change their views with the snap of his fingers. Considering his position, it was maddening to have so little control over so much. However…

Magnus finally sensed him watching and arched an elegant eyebrow while putting down a glass bottle. “You’re wearing that look again.” It was one they’d labeled jokingly ‘Alec Lightwood’s Thinking Face’. “What goes on in that pretty head of yours?”

The teasing, affectionate tone – one that held genuine joy for the first time since Magnus’s trip to Edom – strengthened Alec’s resolve. “You”, he admitted honestly. There were so very many things wrong in Magnus’s life that Alec couldn’t do anything about. But perhaps Lorenzo Rey wasn’t one of them. “And duty. Do you think you can forgive me for leaving you for a couple of hours to settle in, while I take care of something?”

Magnus was so blissfully and heartbreakingly happy to feel whole again that those words didn’t spark suspicion. Instead his the man smiled, in the honest way the archer had missed so much that it hurt. “Kiss me and I’ll consider forgiving you.”

Alec was more than happy to do just that. The kiss was warm and full of love, so much like those they exchanged… before. But suddenly there was something that felt like static electricity. It made Alec shiver.

Magnus didn’t seem to notice. “Go do your job, Shadowhunter. After a day like this… I think I’ll have a celebratory drink. Or two.”

Alec planned on doing his job. Although not as a Shadowhunter, but as Alec Lightwood, a partner. Asmodeus stole Magnus’s magic and immortality. Lorenzo stole the his home. They both took advantage of the man he loved in his time of despair. The former culprit was out of the archer’s reach. The latter wasn’t.

/

After his… unpleasant talk with Lorenzo Alec needed some time to cool off. Evening had stretched far by the time he returned to his room. He wasn’t surprised to find Magnus fast asleep. It’d been a long, eventful day.

The sight of Magnus sleeping in a bed that was now theirs chased away all Alec’s frustrated fury. Overcome by the moment, he pressed a feather-light kiss to his beloved’s cheek. To his surprise it didn’t make Magnus stir. Usually the warlock was such a light sleeper. He must’ve really needed the rest.

The alarm Alec experienced when Magnus came back with magic returned with vengeance. Needing a distraction, the archer turned his head to discover that his boyfriend had scattered his clothes carelessly to the floor. Alec snorted fondly.

How much did Magnus drink?

Pleased to have something to do, Alec started picking up and folding the garments. Magnus would’ve been displeased to wake up and discover them in a disarray, after all. Whether he had the powers to smoothen them or not.

That adoring thought vanished quickly and violently when Alec’s sharp eyes caught something. He tensed up. A vicious tingle of dread washed through all of him.  
It was right there on Magnus’s sleeve. Almost unnoticeable, which was probably why the older man hadn’t magicked it away. A blood-stain, just a single drop.

Curious, really, how something so tiny and seemingly insignificant made terror rear its head inside Alec.

/

_There’s this thing about something seeming too good to be true… It usually is._

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo… Who’s scared for Magnus after this episode…? (lifts both hands) GO ALEC, though! I’m with him – I want to strangle Lorenzo, too.
> 
> Now… How was this little tale? ANY good at all? PLEASE, do leave a comment! Hearing from you ALWAYS makes my day.
> 
> And THANK YOU, a million times, for reading! Who knows. Maybe I’ll see you again?
> 
> Take care!


End file.
